THE TOP 25 STORIES FROM VCU ATHLETICS IN 2011-12 - #16 thru 20

Jun 15, 2012

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#16 - Baseball continues its pipeline to the pros

One thing that has been synonymous with the VCU baseball program
under the Paul Keyes tenure is preparing players for the next
level. The 2012 version was no different with players getting
drafted, and other players reaching the pros.

Just last week VCU had two players go in the MLB Amateur
Draft, and another sign as a free agent. Junior Blake Hauser was
the first to go a draft pick of the Seattle Mariners in the
13th round. That was followed with junior Kyle Haynes
going in the 20th round to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The
news kept getting better as senior Kyle Pelchy singed a free agent
contract last Friday with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Since 1984 the Rams have had 55 players drafted or signed by 25
of the MLB’s 30 teams.

As those former student athletes are starting their careers,
other VCU alumni continue to stay on 40-man roster in the Big
Leagues. With addition of Cody Eppley to the New York Yankees, the
Rams now have four players on 40-man rosters tying them with UVA
for most in the state.

Eppley joins, Sean Marshall (Cincinnati Reds), Brandon Inge
(Oakland Athletics) and Scott Sizemore (Oakland Athletics) in the
majors. The Rams also have currently five players in the minors as
well.

#17 - Women's Hoops makes run to WNIT Round of
16

For the fifth straight season the VCU women’s basketball
team made a post-season appearance. This year, however, the Rams
were not satisfied with just reaching the postseason, and made
magical run through the first two rounds of the WNIT.

The Rams were shipped to Bowling Green for the first round. The
game was controlled by the Falcons until the final three minutes
when seniors Andrea Barbour and Courtney Hurt took over. VCU would
rally back in take the lead, but a foul in the back-court sent the
Falcons to the line with a chance to win the game with only five
seconds left. Jessica Slagel knocked down the two free throws and
the Falcons led by 1. Barbour got the ball on the inbounds raced
the length of the floor and scored as time expired to lead the Rams
to the second round.

The Black and Gold’s second round opponent, St.
Joe’s, was a familiar one having played them three straight
seasons in the WNIT. The second round game was back and forth, and
neither team could win in regulation. After VCU spotted the Hawks a
65-61 lead in overtime, the Rams used a 6-0 run capped off by
another Barbour lay-up with 0.7 seconds remaining to send VCU back
to the third round of the WNIT.

The Rams run came to an end when they lost at Toledo in the
third round of the WNIT. It was the second time in three seasons
that Rams had made it to the third round.

#18 - Men's Soccer returns to Top-25

Since his arrival in Richmond, VCU men’s soccer coach Dave
Giffard has stressed his goal to return the VCU soccer program back
to the national power it once was. In 2011, the Rams
displayed plenty of signs that his goal was on the horizon.

The Rams returned to a top 25 national ranking for the first
time since 2005. The Rams jumped to a quick 4-0 start to reach as
high 16th in the National Soccer Coaches Association of
America/Continental Tires Poll for the week of September
6th.

The following week the Rams dropped four spots to number 20, but
made the national poll two consecutive weeks.

With a good core of the 2011 team back in 2012, Giffard and the
men’s soccer team are poised for another run to the Top-25,
and a run for the A-10 crown.

#19 - Volleyball upsets its way to the CAA Championship
match

If there's one thing that has been clear in recent memory, it's
that the VCU volleyball program knows how to play and win come
conference tournament time. That lesson was on display yet again in
2011 when the Ram make a run at the CAA Championship as the sixth
seed in the conference tournament.

VCU rolled off victories in six of their final seven
regular-season matches to earn the final spot in the CAA Tournament
and a first-round match-up against the third-seeded Tigers of
Towson. The Rams did what they always did, pulling out a five-set
thriller, 25-12, 25-22, 24-26, 18-25, 15-7 and set up a date with
second-seeded Northeastern.

The talented Huskies could not stop VCU's magic as the Black
& Gold continued to roll with another five-set thriller, 23-25,
25-15, 20-25, 25-20, 15-12. The victory earned the Rams their
fourth CAA Championship match appearance in the past seven
years.

VCU's magic nearly turned into a conference title as they took
top-seeded Delaware, who had dominated the conference all year
long, to five sets, but eventual fell, 24-26, 25-17, 15-25, 25-18,
15-9.

#20 - Simmons, Crew Bike Across America for long-time
friend

What makes Ram Nation so great are the 270-plus student-athletes
that wear the Black & Gold proudly and are incredible
ambassadors for VCU. Need an example? Look no further than men's
track & field and cross country runner Tyler Simmons.

Simmons and two of his friends are currently in the middle of
the country, nearing the halfway point of their Bike Across America
journey.